Interviews with teachers uncovered a culture of violence at Edinburgh schools where children hit staff and throw chairs regularly.
Edinburgh teachers have endured physical and verbal abuse from students as young as five years old, an investigation has revealed. Teachers in the capital spoke anonymously to our sister title, Edinburgh Live, whose probe uncovered a culture of violence at schools in the city.
Over three verbal or physical assaults were found on teachers per day between January to June of 2023 and January to June of 2024, according to Freedom of Information data. Edinburgh schools reported 386 assaults in 2023 which increased to 397 in 2024. Spread over the 211 school days in the period, this amounts to more than three assaults per day.
“There were times that the class was barricaded in. I had nightmares from that year. It’s going to take me a while to get over. I had a few episodes during the year where I was signed off work. I was literally just crying and pacing the floor.” Some teachers had even been hospitalised by incidents from children as young as five. One primary educator, who teaches students with additional needs, said: “Recently I was bitten on the hand because the student wanted something and couldn’t communicate fast enough.”
She said: “A student recently called me a ‘fat ugly c**t’. She was eight or nine years old. If this was 15 years ago, I would have gone to the office and demanded the parents come in for a formal apology. Now it’s not going to happen.
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